The Latest: Orioles' Gentry robs homer from Twins' Rosario  —  Kansas City Royals Alex Gordon runs sprints on during a baseball workout, Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals open the baseball season on Thursday afternoon when they host the Chicago White Sox.

NEW YORK  • Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez again had difficulty in the early innings Thursday.  Martinez wasn't too good in the middle innings, either, at least the middle innings he pitched.  —  Notorious slow starter Martinez walked six, hit one and allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings …

Masahiro Tanaka looking forward to season debut despite getting passed over for Yankees' Opening Day start  —  TORONTO — Masahiro Tanaka said it wasn't a strange feeling that he wasn't starting on Opening Day.  But given that he had started the previous three season-openers for the Yankees, it must've been at least a little weird.

Rusty Staub, beloved Mets icon, dead at 73  —  In every way, Rusty Staub, the beloved Mets' hitting icon, who passed away early Thursday morning at age 73, was bigger than life — a bigger-than-life baseball personality, humanitarian, gourmet chef, wine connoisseur, friend-to-all and …

Kyle Zimmer had such promise.  But the Royals' patience has run out  —  The intrigue derived from the velocity, at least initially, but as Royals scouts further studied Kyle Zimmer in 2012, they were awed by the full repertoire.  Ahead of the June draft that year, Baseball America graded Zimmer's fastball …

Melancon joins Bumgarner, Samardzija on Giants' DL  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — San Francisco Giants closer Mark Melancon was put on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow flexor strain before Thursday's opener, joining starters Madison Bumgarner and starter Jeff Samardzija on the sidelines.

Japanese baseball stars returning home from MLB to extend careers … Daisuke Matsuzaka says he still has something to prove.  —  Koji Uehara wants to help his former team regain its past glory.  —  The two former U.S. major leaguers are among several Japanese stars that will be looking …

Grease fire causes smoke inside Tropicana Field before Rays opener  —  A small grease fire in the upper deck of Tropicana Field on Thursday caused a smoky haze to fall over the playing field five hours before the first pitch of the regular-season opener between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.

Cleveland Indians enter 2018 with designs on finishing season with World Series Championship  —  The Cleveland Indians are set to open the 2018 regular season against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field tonight.  —  CLEVELAND — Two years ago, the Cleveland Indians were one inning away …

Sources: Cardinals working to close a deal with Greg Holland  —  NEW YORK  • A few days after suggesting they were ready to go into the regular season without a closer and throw a variety of pitchers at the ninth inning, including rookie Jordan Hicks, the Cardinals have made a move to answer their biggest question.

Ryan Court ‘very impressive’ to Joe Maddon despite not being named to Cubs' 25-man roster  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs' opening day roster didn't include infielder Ryan Court, but the versatile Dundee-Crown High School alum made a favorable impression on manager Joe Maddon.

Jake Arrieta assigned to minors while getting in shape for his Phillies debut  —  Philadelphia pitcher Jake Arrieta has been assigned to Class A Clearwater while working into shape for his Phillies debut.  —  Since the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner got a late start in spring training …

Chicago sportswriter vowed to jump in Lake Michigan if Ian Happ led off with homer, and well ...  Chicago Tribune  —  Apparently, anybody who doubts Ian Happ's power can just go jump in the lake.  —  Just before the Cubs' opener at Miami on Thursday, Bleacher Nation reporter Michael Cerami promised …

Astros play four-man outfield against Rangers' Joey Gallo  —  The Houston Astros are defending World Series champions for a reason.  —  Sure, they have some of the best players in the majors.  But they also rely heavily on their analytics department to give them an extra statistical edge.